Monthly Archives: December 2014

Happy New Year!! My top seven blogs of 2014

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I had so much fun doing this last year – looking over my website statistics to see what were my seven most read blogs during the year. I normally blog about my two areas of consulting a few times each month: Diversity with a specialization in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) workplace and marketplace; and career and skills development based on my innovative Total Engagement Career Mapping process. However, once in a while I write a more personal column or rant about something that is irking me.

Happy New Year from Stan Kimer, founder and owner of Total Engagement Consulting by Kimer

Happy New Year from Stan Kimer, founder and owner of Total Engagement Consulting by Kimer


Here are the “Top 7 of 2014” in reverse order:

7. During June, LGBT Pride Month, I got a little more personal and shared the summary of a talk I gave at a recent local PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) chapter meeting, “8 Lessons in my Journey as an Out Gay Man.” I hope these are useful life lessons for LGBT people and allies alike.


6. Many pundits were saying that by coming out as a gay man, University of Missouri defensive stand out Michael Sam may be hurting his ranking in the upcoming draft, but I completely disagreed and explained my business rationale in “Fortunate is the NFL Team that drafts Michael Sam!”


5. Written in July and then updated in December, is “President Obama’s Latest Executive Order Protecting LGBT Americans – The True American Thing to Do!” I provide some details of President Obama’s latest executive order, links to several relevant items and discuss how arguments that this order endangers religious freedom are totally preposterous.


4. In “A Rant: Figure Skating, The 2014 Olympics, Stereotyping and Prejudice,”I combine my personal hobby of attending figure skating competitions with my vocation as a diversity consultant, and discuss the disturbing comments people post online in response to articles about the sport of figure skating.


3. My most popular blog of 2013 was actually googled quite a lot and finished in as number 3 for this year: “Five Common Misconceptions about Gay People.”


2. From November of this year, with the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, I wrote “Five things never to say to transgender people.”


1. and the top most read blog was actually published in 2011! As many people search for online resources about diversity training, they found and read my 2011 blog “Three Components of Diversity Training,” where I discuss the three major components required for diversity training and exactly who within an enterprise should be trained.


Thanks to all the readers who enjoy and share my blogs. In 2015, if you want to be notified each time I do publish, you can like my business facebook page (Link), or if you subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter, I include a short summary and links to the past month’s writings.

Wishing all my readers a wonderful 2015 filled with much contentment and success!

Finding and Pursuing a New Passion at Age 59!

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In my blog of two weeks ago about the value of outstanding coaches, I wrote that my December blogs would be a little more personal, and in writing about my figure skating coach Paula McKinley, I promised to follow up with this blog “Finding and Pursuing a New Passion.”

As I approach my 60th birthday I could not fathom that I would start something totally new. I already have plenty of hobbies and activities including my new consulting practice. But indeed I took the chance to try something new and frankly outside my comfort zone, and discovered something that is giving me unbelievable joy.

A real highlight of my skating journey has been skating with American icon Olympic Champion Dorothy Hamill at her skating camp

A real highlight of my skating journey has been skating with American icon Olympic Champion Dorothy Hamill at her skating camp

With retiring from full time work to being a part-time entrepreneur, I had the time to start attending the entire week of the US Figure Skating Nationals every year and I even traveled to Finland to watch an international competition. Earlier this year, I thought I might want to get off the couch (or out of the stands) as a spectator and try figure skating myself. I am in good health, do a lot of hiking and have a slender and somewhat flexible body conducive to skating.

In May I was fitted for custom skates and secured a private coach at the Central Carolina Skating Club in Hillsborough, NC. I also signed up for the week long Dorothy Hamill Adult Fantasy Figure Skating Camp in October, which provided me extra incentive to get serious about starting lessons so the camp experience would be more worthwhile.

The figure skating journey started in May with getting fitted for the boots.

The figure skating journey started in May with getting fitted for the boots.

From those first extremely tentative steps on the slippery ice as a beginner skater, I have made fast progress and am now very comfortable on the ice. My coach Paula McKinley taught me the correct basics and prepared me for the week long camp where we would spend five hours each day on the ice. I was a little nervous about the length of days and the advanced skills of the other skaters, but by the second day I was discovering the sheer joy of skating and after 5 hours did not want to leave the ice at the end of the day! Olympic gold medalist Dorothy Hamill and the other world-class coaches were very encouraging and told me I had a real talent for skating and was learning very quickly.

Now I am very comfortable on the ice, and hate to leave once I start!

Now I am very comfortable on the ice, and hate to leave once I start!

The week culminated in performing for the local people where the camp was held, and I discovered that skating while hamming it for an audience was great fun. I was in tears by the end of the week, realizing that 6 months short of my 60th birthday, I have found a new love, a new passion! I cannot wait to get on the ice for practice and lessons, and I look forward to jumping and spinning, and even competing in the adult ranks in the future as well as participating in more ice shows.

NOTE: This week my coach and I are skating a duet number at the Central Carolina Skating Club’s annual production of Nutcracker on Ice Dec 19 and 20th after which I will start training for my first competition in May.